2012 · Q21
Vultures, which were very common in our countryside a few years ago, are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to one of the following :
General ScienceBiology
- ADestruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species
- BA drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle
- CScarcity of food available to them
- DA widespread, persistent and fatal disease amongst them
Explanation
India's vultures — the White-rumped, Indian and Slender-billed species — declined by over 95% from the 1990s. The cause was diclofenac, a veterinary painkiller used on cattle; vultures feeding on treated carcasses died of renal failure. India banned diclofenac for veterinary use in 2006. The crash was not caused by nesting-site destruction, food scarcity or an epidemic disease.